The best opening variation in the French defence will depend on your playing level. I believe at GM level, the best variation is 1e4 e6 2d4 d5 3Nc3 when play will either go into the Winawer or Classical variation. I know that John Watson (an expert on the French defence and author of Play the French) believes this is the best way to go for white.

However, playing the Winawer can involve learning a lot of theory and is possibly best avoided by lower rated players. I play the Tarrasch against the French defence (note I also play the French defence as Black). This is a good opening for lower rated players because it is fairly open and tactical. It is also a lot more interesting than the Exchange variation, which is what lower rated e4 players tend to play whenever they see the French defence. Fiveofswords post above is a good place to start learning the Tarrasch from.

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